- A Chinese student avoided paying rent by living under a mall staircase for six months, reports say.
- The student had an ergonomic chair, tent, mattress, table, and computer in the hidden dwelling.
- He was ultimately arrested on October 30, according to reports.
A Chinese student avoided paying rent by secretly living under the stairs of a Shanghai mall for half a year.
The man, whose name has not been disclosed, created a living space in the secluded spot, which included an ergonomic chair, tent, mattress, table, and a computer, according to a post on X shared by Shanghai Daily.
The English-language newspaper reported that he'd even used an inverter to generate electricity during his six-month stay.
He used this to power his computer, cellphone, and a kettle, the South China Morning Post reported.
According to The New York Post, the man would occasionally leave his makeshift dwelling to charge his devices using mall outlets.
Metro reported that he was spotted by a security guard several months ago, but the guard let him stay after the student described needing a place to study.
The Beijing Times reported that he was studying for the Gaokao exams, the national undergraduate admission exams in China taken by high school seniors, which have previously been referred to as the "world's toughest" exam.
Late last month, however, another security guard spotted the student's hidden abode and was less sympathetic to his studying excuse.
He was arrested on October 30, according to The Post.
Insider previously reported on how Shanghai is considered the second-most-expensive city in the world for "living well," citing a ranking by the Swiss banking group Julius Baer.
According to Mercer, the American consulting firm, Shanghai is one of the most expensive cities to live in the world — ranking 12th overall.